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B. BIDWELL. ELECTRICAL EMU-WAY. No. 517,258. Patented Mar. 27, 1894.

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BENSON BIDWELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TCHARLES F. BIDWELL, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

ELECTRICAL RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,258, dated March2'7, 1894. Application filed January 8, 1885. Serial No. 152,244. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENSON BIDWELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrical Railways, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, wherein-Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a part of a car and lineof way illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2,isa diagram showing amodified arrangement of circuit connections for the motor and electricappurte- I 5 nances included in the car-circuit, and Fig.3

is an end view of a'further different arrangement or constructidn ofline conductors.

My invention has relation to electric railways particularly to the caror the loop cir- 2o cuit for its motor, and to the formation anddisposition of the line conductors; and it has for its objects to placethe cars in telephonic communication with the station along the line ofway at which is located the dynamo 2 5 electric machine for the lineconductors in order,,that the attendant at such station may from time totime be informed of the conditions of travel both as regards the track,line conductors and the car as it makes its journey. My inventionaccordingly consists of the combination, construction and arrangement ofparts as hereinafter described and claimed having reference particularlyfirst to a railway having a line conductor in circuit with 3 5 agenerator located at a station along the line of way, a loop or branchfor said circuit which includes a telephonic instrument in combinationwith a car having traveling connections with the line conductors for aloop or branch circuit in which is an electric motor, and a loop orbranch from said connections, or the motor loop, in which is atelephonic instrument whereby said car and station are placed in oral ortelephonic communication with one another.

In the drawingsA represents a line of railway which may be either asurface or an elevated road and B B the electric conductors in. circuitwith a dynamo electric machine 0,

located at any convenient station along the line of wayand of which anydesired number may be used. These conductors may be of any desired configuration in cross-section, but I prefer to make them of strips ofmetal both of which are secured to a single right angled 5 or invertedL. shaped support D, suitably located adjacent to the track A. One ofthese conductors B is secured to the under side of the horizontalportion 61 of the support D and the other conductor B to the adjacentvertical side d of said support, but if desired they may both be securedto the under side of the horizontal portion of support D. In either casethe support D protects the conductors from the weather or keeps their 65contact surfaces clean.

E represents a car having traveling con nections e provided with contactrollers or brushes f f to connect the line conductors with a loop for anelectric motor F suitably secured to the car and in gear with its axles.

The rollers or brushes ff are secured to a bracket f aflixed to car Eand are provided with expanding springs f to give a pressure contactwith the line conductors for main- 7 taining such contact under varyingconditions of travel. If desired however spring brushes or plates may besubstituted for said rollers as indicated at as Fig. l.

The car motor circuit or loop F is provided with a reversing switch Gwhich when moved off of its contact points 9 breaks the motor circuit ordisconnects it from the line circuit and stops the car, when said switchis moved to effect achange of polarity in the field magnets of themotor, its armature is reversely rotated and the direction of the travelof the car is changed. Such switch, therefore, in eifect, completelycontrols the movements of the car. go

I The motor circuit F has a loop or branch H in which is includedincandescent or electric lamps h and telephonic instruments L. Thesebranch circuits are provided with suitable well known resistance coilsMM' for per- 5 mitting the use of the motor or high tension currents forthe lights and telephone.

In the circuit 0 of the generator 0 isaloop or branch 0 which alsoincludes atelephone 0 and resistance coil M for the purpose abovedescribed. By such circuiting or connection of the car circuits, lineconductors, and generator circuit, the car is telephonically placed incommunication with the generator station so that the attendant at thelatter can be signaled to as desired.

Instead of circuiting the various loops or shunts of the car as shown inFig. 1, they may be arranged as indicated in Fig. 2, anda simple switchlever substituted for the reversing switch in which case the brushes onthe corn mutator will be duly moved to effect a reversal of rotation ofthe armature shaft. Suitable switches P may be placed in the loop of thecar circuit for cutting out the lights h when not needed.

Instead of afiixing the conductors B B upon the angular insulatingbracket D, such conductors may be angularly secured to and insulatedfrom one another as shown in Fig. 3, in which case their inner adjacentsides form the contact surfaces for the brushes or rollers ff.

It is obvious that the loops of the car motor circuit, as well as, thelatter itself, may be varied greatly Within the spirit of my invention,hence, I do not limit my invention to any particular form of circuitingtherefor.

What I claim is- 1. In an electric railway having a line of conductorsin connection with a generator located at a station along the line ofway, a branch or loop in said generator circuit having telephonicinstruments and resistance coils, in combination with a car havingtraveling circuit connector a motor circuit and a loop or branch fromthe motor circuit or loop, and including a telephonic instrument andresistance coils substantially as described.

2. In an electric railway the combination of a generator and itscircuit, aline of track connected with said circuit, a car having atraveling connection, a circuit in the car, a motor in said circuit,aswitch for cutting the motor in and out of the circuit, a telephoneinstrument arranged in the car circuit independent of the motor, and atelephonicinstrumentarranged in the generator circuit, wherebytelephonic communication can be had between the car and generatorstation while the car is either in motion or at rest.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENSON BIDWELL.

Witnesses:

J OHN RODGERS, S. J. VAN STAVOREN.

